Edward a



'(No Model.)

E. AY. BNVELOP I'ASTBNER.

No. 566,065. Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD A. DAY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE W. H. HILL ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ENVELOP-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,065, dated August 18, 1896.

Application filed December 7, 1895. Serial No. 571,364. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. DAY, of the city and county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelop-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents part of an envelop with my improved fastener applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the envelop flap and fastener in the positions that they occupy prior to folding down and fastening said flap. Fig. 3 is also a similar view to Fig. 1, showing how a cloth or other sample of goods may be attached to the outside of a sample-envelop for the purpose hereinafter specified. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the doublepronged eyelet of my improved envelop-fastener, all the following figures also being upon the same enlargedscale. Fig. 5 represents detached side views, respectively, of the plain eyelet adapted to be fastened in the envelop flap and of the aforesaid doublepronged eyelet adapted to be fastened to the body of the envelop under said flap, the prongs of said pronged eyelet being shown by dotted lines bent at right angles to the face of the eyelet, which is the position into which they are bent preparatory to passing them through the eyelet in the flap and bending them out in opposite directions to effect the fastening of said flap or the fiap and a sample of goods, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is a section through the envelop and double-pronged eyelet, taken on line a, Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a similar section through the envelop and my improved fastening, taken on line b, Fig. l.

The object of my invention is to provide a metallic envelop-fastener whose parts shall be rigidly and permanently fastened to the envelop, and which shall -lie flat with the surface of said envelope when unfastened prior to or when not in use, and also whereby cloth or other samples may be securely and detachably fastened to the outside of the envelop, as and for the purposes hereinafter specified.

Said invention consists of an envelop-fastener made from a piece of sheet metal, cut and compressed into the form of a central eyelet or ferrule, having two integral prongs projecting together at right angles from one side of its head upon the same plane as the face of said head, and the same in combination with an envelop whose loose flap is provided with an eyeleted opening and its body a with plain opening under Where said eyeleted opening comes when the flap is folded against the body in closing the envelop, the aforesaid sheet-metal fastener being permanently secured in said plain opening of the envelopbody by means of its central eyelet or ferrule, with the laterally-projecting prongs lying fiat against the outer face of said envelop-body and the loose flap being fastened to close the envelop by first bending the prongs together substantially at right angles to the face of the central eyelet or ferrule, then inserting them through the eyeleted opening in the flap and a sample of goods, if the latter is placed thereon, and finally bending said prongs in opposite directions against the outer face of said flap or sample of goods, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that others may better understand the nature and purpose of my said invention, I will now proceed to describe it more in detail.

, Referring to the drawings, A and B represent, respectively, part of the body and flap of an ordinary sample-envelop;

0 represents the plain eyelet secured to the flap, and D the double-pronged eyelet secured to the body under said flap, as previously stated.

The eyelet O in the flap is of usual construction, (see Fig. 5,) and is fastened in said flap by inserting the short shank O in the flapopening 0 and then compressing said eyelet between suitable dies, which splits and spreads the inner end of the shank and forms a clench against the under side of the flap around its opening. The double -pronged eyelet D is fastened to the body of the envelop in like manner, as is indicated in Fig. 6, and when thus secured in place its prongs lie fiat against the outer surface of the envelop, as is also shown in said Fig. 6. Be

ing thus secured permanently and rigidly to the envelop, the fastening cannot be easily detached and lost and is always in readiness for fastening down the flap thereby. In fastening said flap the two prongs on the central eyelet or ferrule D are first bent out at right angles to the face of said central eyelet or ferrule, as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. The flap B is then folded down against the body of the envelop, with the prongs o 0 passed through the eyelet Gin said flap, when said prongs may then be bent in opposite directions and folded against the outer face of the flap, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 7, thereby securely holding said flap closed until the prongs are bent back into their aforesaid right-angle positions to unfasten and open the envelop again.

The essential feature of my invention consists in making the eyelet D with the double or split prong c 0 made integral therewith and in alinement with the face of the eyelet, so that the prongs will lie fiat on the face of the envelop when not in use, thereby permitting the envelops to be packed as compactly, without waste of space, as ordinary gummed envelops.

My improved fastener is of especial advantage for envelops used for mailing samples of cloth goods and the goods themselves or other merchandise, as will atonce be apparent to dry-goods and other similar merchants sending samples and merchandise by mail for approval of goods which they desire to sell, or in reply to inquiries for such goods. As is well known, upon the receipt of the returned samples by the house from which they were sent the sample selected and approved by the purchaser is attached by the receiving clerk to the outside of the envelop and-forwarded to the proper department for filling the order received. Said result may be satisfactorily accomplished by my invention by simply forcing the prongs, when bent at right angles, through the sample E and then bending said prongs in opposite directions, as is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, thereby, as will be obviously seen, effectually securing said sample or merchandise from being lost from the envelop during its passage from one department to another, and said sample or merchandise may also be as readily removed, when desired, bybending said prongs out to right angles again.

It will be understood that I do not claim as broadly new the use of double or split prongs in an envelop-fastener, and the use of eyelets for various purposes is a very old feature. I do claim, however, that the specific combination of elements employed in carrying out my invention for the purposes specified is, so far as I am aware, new in the art to which said invention relates.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An improved envelop-fastener consisting of a piece of sheet metal cut and compressed into the form of a central eyelet or ferrule, having two integral prongs projecting together, at right angles from one side of its head, upon the same plane as the face of said head, and adapted to be secured in an opening in the body of the envelop under its loose flap, with the two prongs lying flat against the outer face of said envelop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A11 improved envelop-fastener, consisting of a piece of sheet metal, cut and compressed into the form of a central eyelet, or ferrule, having two integral prongs projecting together, at right angles from one side of its head, upon the same plane as the face of said head, in combination with an envelop whose loose flap is provided with an eyeleted opening, and its body with a plain opening under Where said eyeleted opening comes when the flap is folded against the body in closing the envelop, the aforesaid sheet-metal fastener being permanently secured in said plain opening of the envelop-body, by means of its central eyelet or ferrule, with the laterallyprojecting prongs lying flat against the outer face of said envelop-body, and the loose flap being fastened to closethe envelop, by first bending the prongs together, substantially at right angles to the face of the central eyelet or ferrule, then inserting them through the eyeleted opening in the flap, and a sample of goods, if the latter is placed thereon, and finally bending said prongs in opposite directions against the outer face of said flap or sample of goods, substantially as set forth.

EDWARD A. DAY. Witnesses:

A. A. BARKER, XV. B. NoURsE. 

